Discovering the pilgrimage

Each Lent for the past 12 years I have attended daily Mass as a pilgrimage. The first two years were inspiring and centered Christ in my daily life. This was inspired by the homily offered by a visiting Franciscan Friar during an Ash Wednesday mass at my parish at the time Our Lady of Victories, in Harrington Park, NJ. The friar shared his annual pilgrimage, and I felt a deep need to attempt something similar. However, being married with young children and a career within the Fire Service, I devised the plan for daily Mass and for the first two years it was wonderful. I learned about the faith, became closer to the Lord, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. However, it seemed easy because I am fortunate to live in an area with scores of nearby parishes creating an opportunity to just show up. It was “easy,” and I felt that there should be a personal sacrifice.

The need for a challenge

The third year I endeavored to attend Mass in a different church every day during Lent. It required planning, and in some cases a lot of gas and time. Google and eventually an app assisted me. I have been to masses in French, Quebec French, Creole, Italian, Irish, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Latin and English in Cathedrals, Basilicas, large churches, small churches, and all sizes in between. I attended Mass wherever I was whether it was in The United States or in other countries. I attended Mass in large cities, small towns, and even in Native American Reservations, some were sites of miracles and others were miraculous. I felt welcome, love, warmth, and questions arose about the variations among the Masses; priests and deacons were always willing to answer any questions. During the Pandemic, I attended Mass virtually, attending Mass that was offered from six of the seven continents: from 20 different countries. I even attended Mass offered from the Parish that my father went to when he was a youth in Ireland. I began to develop a list of Parishes that I liked and would make certain that I would attend Mass there again during my next Lenten pilgrimage and people began to recommend churches that I should go to. I began to post the pilgrimage journey online with a photo of the outside of the church and of the inside of the church along with the name and the location with a day and church count.

The genesis of the post and the upcoming reflections.

I was attending a Mass at the local GAA Clubhouse and Monsignor Nevin of St. Aedan’s in Pearl River was the celebrant. As I was assisting him carry the items necessary for the Mass, I asked him a question about lay people accessing the Tabernacle and removing the consecrated host. At the time was the Chaplain for my daughter’s high school. He inquired about why I would ask such a question, and I shared with him my form of a pilgrimage he suggested that I write about it. It took three years to feel comfortable with his suggestion and I due to an experience that I had during this year’s pilgrimage I decided to perform a weekly reflection on the Saint or article of faith that the parish was named after and how, without realizing it, my career as a firefighter and subsequent involvement in the volunteer service has been influenced by my faith. In addition, and notably, I am a lecturer in a large urban public university system. My faith and how it has shaped my views and has likely influenced my teaching and learning. This will be explored over the next 36 weeks.

As there are 36 weeks left in the year and there are several repeated appearances of names and articles of faith. This will allow me to write one reflection per week until the end of the year.

Prayer and who teaches it.

This past Lent I began to think about prayer and who I learned to pray from and the first memory that I had was learning the Our Father and the Hail Mary in the apartment that my family had lived in and it was my mother who taught these to me. When I looked at my definition of service to others, I had two examples in my home, my mother who was a nurse and my father who enlisted in the Army as a nearly newly arrived immigrant. My family was patriotic and believed that an individual could make a difference.

Throughout my life I have had multiple opportunities to serve the community that I have lived in or have worked in. Each was rewarding from the perspective that they always provided dignity and value.

Ash Wednesday and St. Anthony of Padua

On Ash Wednesday my daughter, who was home from college, and I attended a Mass at St. Anthony of Padua parish. This is a neighboring parish where my family and I go to Mass. We have been here multiple times; funerals, weddings, and Mass. I have attended Mass at both the main church and its chapel for thirty years. This year, and at this Mass, there was a difference. The Mass was standing room only; people were lining the sides of the church and into the alcoves that were at the entrances. There were families, elderly, young, groups of people and individuals all attending an afternoon Mass on Ash Wednesday. Later that day, I say people who I know are not even Easter and Christmas Catholics who had received ashes that day and who had said that they “just felt the need.”

St. Anthony of Padua was the Saint that I went to when I misplaced things. He always got a workout. Aside from those intercessions, I did not ask for much from him. Yet, his example of Franciscan ideals was present and influenced me throughout my life. St. Anthony embodied service to others, especially the poor. He served without out reservation and without judgement. He placed others before himself and advocated equality by serving the marginalized and the needy. His service to others was founded in that of God’s mercy and love. Words meant nothing without deeds, and prayer. Humble service and dedication to others through the mercy and love of God provides the foundation for personal integrity.

A profession can be a calling

Having been involved in emergency services for 35 years, I have done some reflection over decisions, actions and outcomes and my impact on them. This week, I looked upon the importance of communication. Whether it was communication in the fire house, the scene of an emergency, on the training ground or in the classroom. In each example to value of communication becomes readily apparent when utilizing the lens of St. Anthony. I have never met a member of emergency services that has not had multiple 0300 responses to the residence of an elderly widow(er) who has been experiencing some medical condition that began at 0900 yet, decided to call during the wee hours of the morning. Through compassion and respect it is likely that the call was made due to fear about experiencing the effects of the illness/condition.

Compassion

Speaking with the person using compassionate communication techniques places the person at ease. The importance of communication and compassion becomes evident when asking a member how they are doing and how the family is only to find out that the member is experiencing significant pressures at home and they are affecting his performance. Offering appropriate support and guidance is the desired goal. I cannot help but think of a moment during a classroom visit during which a child was reluctant to interact and after a few moments came alongside me and held my hand without saying a word. The child had lost a parent due to a traumatic event and associated all emergency responders with that incident and the loss of her father. That Halloween there was a knock on my home and the mother was there thanking me for helping her daughter; filling my wife and I in on the events and the impact that the classroom visit had on her.

Reflection on the Prayer for St. Anthony’s Intercession

To be candid, these events and others become living memories as I reflected upon St. Anthony and did my requests for intercession have a long-lasting effect. I believe that they have affected my views and my actions. The compassionate servant can be witnessed on a daily basis when I see other responders helping the indigent or the homeless or those who have been victimized by others and are seen by the responders. I see the power of effective and truthful communication when incident commanders speak about an event and provide instruction to the viewer about how to avoid the hazard in the future. The importance of the emergency response community to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and as we have been loved.

Prayer for St. Anthony’s Intercession

When I’m depressed and in despair,

Help me find hope.

When I feel alone and forsaken by everyone I know,

Help me find love.

When I can’t see God anymore in my life

Or the world

Help me find faith.

When I’m afraid of what the future holds,

Help me find trust.

When I am weak.

Help me find courage.

When I am Sick,

Help me find the balm of healing.

When I am overcome by grief,

Help me find comfort.

When I am angry,

Help me find comfort.

When I’m in trouble and I don’t know

what to do.

Help me find God.

This, we ask of you, through our Lord,

Jesus Christ, who reigns forever and ever.

Amen

I pray for his continued intersession on my behalf and for my stated and unstated intersessions; that I continue to exercise compassion to those who are in need to the best of my abilities and that I become better at it; that I become a better and more informed communicator so that I can serve those that require not just my deeds but my actions as well; that I can serve those in need of healing whether injuries are physical, emotional or spiritual, that I can appropriately assist them so that they are relieved from pain and infirmity.

Invitation

This year’s Lenten Pilgrimage had a profound effect upon me. It is my hope that addition of the weekly reflections upon the Saints and Articles of Faith that the parishes I visited were founded upon, will provide a deeper understanding of my faith, and improve upon my understanding of the impact that they have had upon my life and to the extent that they have guided my actions. During this year’s pilgrimage I added weekly reconciliation; aside from being humbling it was a fortification for the next week.

It is not in vanity that I share my reflections but rather in hope that I am not alone and that someone finds a commonality to what is being shared. As you consider your own journey, I invite you to take a moment and reflect upon how your actions have touched upon the lives around you. Have there been moments when your faith, your ability to communicate or your compassion has made a difference to someone in need? I welcome you to share your experiences or thoughts in the comments below.

sasadmin. (2012, December 29). Prayers to St. Anthony – St. Anthony Shrine. St. Anthony Shrine; SAS. https://stanthonyshrine.org/worship/prayers-to-st-anthony/

‌ St. Anthony Prayer Corner. (n.d.). Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. https://www.atonementfriars.org/st-anthony-corner/